The Chronicles of William Wilde Boxset 1

by Davis Ashura

“Do you have a better idea?” Mr. Karllson asked.

  Rukh vanished. One instant, he was present. The next, he was gone.

  Bedlam erupted.

  William stood, not sure he’d actually seen what he had. It had to be some kind of illusion.

  “Where did he go?” Lien asked over the ruckus of everyone else’s questions.

  Mr. Zeus had risen from his chair as well, and approached Rukh’s empty seat.

  William’s eyes narrowed, though. Once he got past his shock and started to think again, he noticed a faint trace of Rukh’s lorethasra still present in the place where he’d been sitting.

  Rukh reappeared. He hadn’t moved from his chair.

  “How’d you do that?” William demanded.

  “I formed a Blend,” Rukh said. “It’s a skill Jessira and I possess, but unfortunately, not one we can easily teach. Nevertheless, it might see us past the Servitor.”

  “Since he cannot fight that which he cannot see,” Jessira said, “hopefully we’ll slip past him and his mahavans.”

  Rukh held up a hand. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’ll have your answers. After this Trial is complete, we’ll tell you what we can about our background. For now, focus on what is required to free Travail and Fiona.”

  A million questions raced through William’s mind. However, he reluctantly nodded agreement and kept his questions to himself.

  The others did, too.

  Several days after the meeting in Mr. Zeus’ courtyard, Serena walked to Sile’s farm and discovered him working in his garden, breaking the soil with a hoe.

  Thin sprouts from young tomato plants topped the soil, along with shoots of okra and some kind of pepper. This late in the day, with twilight’s colors radiating across the sky, Sile must have finished up in the fields and decided to weed his garden.

  The farmer straightened when he saw her, and his face broke into a welcoming smile as he wiped his hands on his overalls. “You haven’t been here in a while.”

  “I’ve been busy, sir.”

  He shook his head and sighed, feigning disgust. “I never could break you of that silly honorific.”

  “What? Calling you ‘sir?’” Serena asked.

  Sile nodded.

  “Where I was raised, it’s a sign of respect,” Serena said. “I never thought you minded.”

  Sile smiled in wry amusement. “Even though I told you not to call me that at least once a day?”

  Serena shrugged. “I guess I’m too stubborn for my own good.”

  “That you are,” Sile agreed with a grunt. “What brings you to my front step on this fair evening?”

  “I’m leaving for Sinskrill in a few days,” Serena said. She held her breath and waited for Sile’s response. He had never been comfortable with her decision to go back to the mahavans’ island.

  “I heard,” Sile eventually said. Unhappiness etched his face, and he returned to hoeing. “I can’t say I’m pleased about your decision. You’re risking everything you’ve become. Are you sure it’s worth it?”

  “The Village Council approved the mission.”

  “And as timid as they are, I suppose I should trust their judgment,” Sile said. “If they believe that you and the others need to rescue the raha’asra and the troll, then it must be important.”

  “She’s my grandmother,” Serena reminded him, “and the troll saved me, William, and Jake. I can’t be truly happy until they’re free.”

  “I can respect that,” Sile said. “As I reckon things, your reasons are good ones. But it doesn’t mean I won’t fear for you.”

  “I know,” Serena said.

  Sile straightened. “Be that as it may, you have my blessing even if you don’t require it, and my prayers for your safe return.”

  Serena’s eyes unexpectedly welled. “Thank you, sir.”

  Sile smiled and hugged her. “Don’t get weepy on me now.”

  Serena hugged him back, loving the farmer’s solid, earthy smell. She wiped away her tears. “I spoke to my grandmother last night. I mean, I dreamed to her.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I know not everyone believes what I have to say about Shet and Seminal—”

  “I believe you,” Sile interrupted. “Others do, too; and those who don’t are likely too afraid to face the truth.”

  “What makes you believe?” Serena asked. He’d never mentioned this to her before.

  “Your sister says it’s true. William and Jake believe you, and so does my grandmother, Ms. Sioned. She’s the most important one to convince as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Thank you,” Serena said, touched by Sile’s trust in her.

  “You’re welcome, but you don’t need to be so grateful when someone offers you a simple compliment. You’ve earned the person you’ve become. Now, what did your grandmother have to say?”

  “She confirmed what my Isha said. She says Shet is real and that he’s coming.”

  Sile’s face fell into a frown of worry. “That bad?”

  “I met him once, when he was chained to the heart of a mountain. Even then, the power he possessed, the malice radiating off him, the lorasra he created . . . he’s the worst kind of god: cruel and bent on enslavement.”

  “How powerful?”

  “More powerful than all the mahavans on Sinskrill put together.”

  Sile’s mouth curled in dissatisfaction. “I’ve heard enough of this Shet,” he said. “Let’s talk about something cleaner. Did you have a chance to grow the new cultivar I mentioned?”

  Serena brightened. “The jasmine? I did, but I didn’t expect the pink flowers. William says the fragrance reminds him of honeysuckle. He likes it, too.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Sile said with a warm smile. “Consider it a lovely gift for a lovely girl.”

  Serena kissed Sile on the cheek. “I know you said I shouldn’t keep telling you ‘thank you,’ but thank you.”

  Sile hugged her again. “Be careful.”

  “I will,” she said, and wondered how she was going to explain all this to Selene.

  That evening, Serena took a seat next to Selene on the outdoor patio swing that hung from the porch ceiling and faced the ocean. The sun had set by the time she’d returned from Sile’s farm, and the night had already grown dark. She noticed the new moon, and how the Milky Way’s wash of light smeared across the majestic firmament. The stars provided a dim but humbling illumination, and their light sparkled now and then upon the whispering waves lapping against the shore. The smell of the briny sea mixed with the clean, lush aroma of jasmines from Sile’s newest cultivar.

  “You’re going back to Sinskrill,” Selene said.

  Serena paused in the motion of clearing Selene’s hair off her face. “Who told you?” she asked in surprise.

  “Everyone knows,” Selene answered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I am telling you. Now,” Serena said. Selene must have had her ear pressed to the island’s gossipy grapevine.

  Selene frowned. “Why do you have to go?” she asked, her tone worried rather than upset.

  Her reaction surprised Serena, who had expected far more drama and anger. “To save our grandmother and Travail,” she said. “Neither of us would be here if not for them.”

  “I don’t want you to go,” Selene said. Her head bent as she began picking at the covering of the swing’s cushion. “I’m scared.”

  “I’m scared too,” Serena said.

  She drew Selene into her lap. Her little sister barely fit. Selene had reached that awkward, coltish stage where she seemed to be all legs and gracelessness. Nevertheless, the beauty she would some day possess could already be seen in her features.

  “This is something I have to do,” Serena continued.

  “Why?”

  “You know why.”

  “I don’t want to be alone,” Selene murmured.

  Serena kissed Selene’s head. “You won’t be. You have family here. They love you.”

&nbs
p; “Other than you, I don’t have any family,” Selene said.

  “Jake and William love you. They think of you as their sister.”

  “You’re my sister,” Selene said. “Besides, William’s going with you and Jake’s helping. They might not come back, either.”

  “I won’t be gone long,” Serena said, “and while I’m away, you’ll be staying, with Emma Lake and her family.”

  “If you don’t come back, do I stay with them forever?” Selene’s affect had gone drone-flat.

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  Selene faced her. “You’re lying. You know it could.”

  Serena had no answer to Selene’s concerns. They swung in silence as they stared at the water. The wind whispered amongst the palm fronds and shrubs, setting the leaves rubbing softly, like quiet cicadas.

  They sat in gentle quietness, but Serena’s heart trembled at what she intended. All this time she’d pushed aside the notion of danger. She hadn’t let herself dwell on it. Now, with Selene curled against her, those perils reared their ugly heads. She could die on this journey. Worse, she might be captured and enslaved.

  “You know I’m right,” Selene said.

  “I know,” Serena said, “but it doesn’t change anything. Sometimes when you love someone, you do what’s needed, no matter the danger.”

  “Are you sure you’re doing this out of love and not out of guilt for kidnapping William and Jake?” Selene asked.

  Serena shook her head, unsurprised by her sister’s adult question. Selene had always been precocious. “My guilt drove me for a long time, but saving our grandmother and Travail isn’t because of any guilt I feel toward William and Jake.”

  “I guess,” Selene said, “but maybe before the two of you leave, you should tell William what you really think of him.”

  Serena forced her limbs to remain relaxed, though inside she stilled. She’d spent the past year and a half burying whatever feelings she might have for William underneath a façade of mere friendship. Ms. Sioned’s advice to leave William alone until Serena figured out what she wanted. It was for both their sakes. William didn’t need her distracting him, and she didn’t want to be the reason he failed at his task.

  “Whatever you think you know about William and me is wrong,” Serena said to Selene. “Keep it to yourself.”

  Her sister levered herself off Serena’s lap. “You don’t think of William as anything more than a friend?” Her eyes shone challenge in the darkness. “You should—”

  “Let it go,” Serena said, her words barely short of an order.

  Selene took no notice. “The way the two of you look at each other—”

  “Enough.” Serena placed a finger on Selene’s lips, annoyed at the turn in their conversation. This late, right before leaving for Sinskrill, she couldn’t afford to allow doubts or unspoken desires cloud her judgment. “None of this matters. Not now. He and I have other things to worry about.”

  Selene finally relented and remained quiet. Peace settled over them again, and the night’s tension drained away. Serena found herself wondering what would happen to her on Sinskrill. Would she ever see Arylyn again? “I love this place,” she said.

  “It’s heaven,” Selene agreed. She stared Serena in the face. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I think you should forgive yourself for what you did to William and Jake. You’re not that person anymore.”

  Serena smiled sadly. “That’s the thing about memories. We can say we aren’t the person who once did awful things, but we can’t forget about them.”

  “That’s the thing about forgiveness,” Selene said. “You don’t have to. Jake and William have forgiven you. Maybe you should forgive yourself, too.”

  Serena viewed Selene through wondering eyes. “When did you grow so wise?”

  Selene grinned. “Wait until I turn thirteen.”

  Serena laughed. “I’m sure the world will tremble at your wisdom.”

  Selene rested her head on Serena’s shoulder. “You’ll make it back,”’ she said, speaking with quiet confidence.

  Serena wished she felt such certainty.

  “You have to trust,” Selene added.

  “Trust who?”

  “The one you hum to all the time. “Gloria.” It’s your way of praying.”

  For the second time that evening tears filled Serena’s eyes, and she wondered when she had become so weak. And when had she grown grateful for such weakness?

  William handed out glasses of lemonade to Jason and Jake before taking a seat on the cushioned bench on Mr. Zeus’ front porch. “Here’s to this not being our last night on Arylyn,” he said.

  “Don’t even think that,” Jake said. “You’ll jinx us.”

  “You know what I mean,” William said.

  “It won’t be our last night here,” Jason reassured. “We’re too pretty to die.”

  William scoffed.

  “Just telling it like it is,” Jason said with a crooked grin.

  “Maybe about the two of us, but what about William?” Jake asked. “Pretty and him go together like masculine and Michael Jackson.”

  “Kind of like you and intelligent,” William said to Jake.

  “Better to be pretty and dumb than smart and ugly.”

  “At least you got the dumb part right,” William said.

  “I was referring to you,” Jake said.

  Jason laughed. “He is pretty ugly.”

  A hint of vanilla carried on the air as Mr. Zeus stepped outside. He’d sourced his lorethasra and lit the front porch lights with a thread of Fire.

  “Can you dim them?” William asked him. “I want to be able to see the night sky.”

  “You can’t see it much sitting under the porch,” Mr. Zeus noted.

  “I still want it dark, though,” William said.

  “Same here,” Jason agreed.

  “Have it your way,” Mr. Zeus conceded.

  The lights dimmed, and their conversation lapsed. They sat in silence, each of them apparently lost in their thoughts.

  Shortly thereafter Serena and Selene stepped through the garden gate.

  “Mind some company?” Serena asked.

  “I don’t think any of us want to be alone tonight,” William said. He shifted, making room on the bench, and Serena sat next to him. Selene propped herself on the porch railing.

  The garden gate swung open again. This time it was Daniel and Lien.

  “I guess everyone’s already here,” Daniel noted.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Karllson are still mad at you,” Lien said to William. “They only agreed to let us leave when we told them we were going whether they approved or not.”

  Daniel nodded. “They said if we’re going, then they’re going, too. But, yeah, they’re mad.”

  William winced. He didn’t like having Mr. and Mrs. Karllson upset with him. They were like a favorite aunt and uncle.

  “They’ll get over it,” Daniel said. “As long as we make it back safe and sound, and this turns out to be worth it.”

  “Most people I’ve spoken to feel the same way,” Jason said. “They support us, but they worry how much it will cost us in the end.”

  “What does Jean-Paul think?” William asked Serena.

  “He admires our courage but he thinks we’re being stupid,” Serena said. For once, she set aside her formality and drew herself up while twirling an imaginary mustache. “William and Jake are American, which is a byword for idiot,” she said, mimicking the Frenchman. She gestured to herself. “But since you are from Sinskrill, I would have thought you would be more cautious. More pragmatic.”

  Her accent and impersonation was spot-on, and everyone laughed.

  “Courage guided by caution will see us through,” Rukh said. “We should take care to remember those two principles.”

  William startled. When the hell had Rukh arrived? The man was a ghost.

  Jessira stood nearby as well. “Caution is certainly required,” she said to Rukh, “but
it’s also something you tend to overlook in the heat of battle. Do you remember what I said when you unnecessarily risked yourself in order to save me in Ashoka?”

  “Which time?” Rukh asked.

  Jessira arched an eyebrow, and Rukh flushed. For once he appeared something other than a calm winter lake.

  “What’s Ashoka?” Serena asked.

  “The city of my birth,” Rukh said. “A world and a lifetime away. I’ll tell you about it when this is done.” He unslung a case William only now noticed and withdrew a mandolin. “Does anyone sing?”

  “I do!” Lien enthused.

  Jessira smiled at the Chinese girl. “You have a rare courage. You remind me of my cousin.”

  “Then she must have been smart and beautiful,” Lien said.

  Jessira smiled. “Sign was both of those things. Mostly, though, she was fearless.”

  “Does any one else sing?” Rukh asked.

  “I can sometimes hit a passable tenor,” Jake said.

  William shot him a look of surprise. “Since when?”

  “Since always. Just because you’ve never heard me sing before doesn’t mean I can’t.”

  “I don’t sing, but I can hum,” Serena said.

  “And you remind me of my sister,” Rukh added. Fleeting but profound loss flitted across his face before he bent his head to pluck the mandolin’s strings.

  LEAVETAKING

  May 1989

  * * *

  William’s closest friends—Ms. Sioned, Afa, and Ward Silver—turned out on the morning of his departure for Sinskrill. They stood with the entire Village Council and other well-wishers, like Sile Troy and Jean-Paul Bernard.

  The Frenchman’s face was already streaked with tears. “You must return,” he implored Serena. “You must. Please stay safe. Do not take foolish risks.”

  “I will,” Serena promised. “I mean, I’ll stay safe and I won’t take foolish risks.” She kissed Jean-Paul on the cheek.

  “See her safely home,” Jean-Paul urged Mr. Zeus.

  “I’ll do my best to see all of us safely home,” the old man promised.

  Selene wore a fierce frown and lightly punched William in the arm. “You better all come back. If you don’t, I’ll—”